CLEVELAND, Texas — A widening manhunt for a Texas gunman who killed five neighbors continued turning up nothing Sunday as officers knocked on doors, the governor put up $50,000 in reward money and the FBI acknowledged they had “zero leads” after nearly two days of searching.
CLEVELAND, Texas — A widening manhunt for a Texas gunman who killed five neighbors continued turning up nothing Sunday as officers knocked on doors, the governor put up $50,000 in reward money and the FBI acknowledged they had “zero leads” after nearly two days of searching.
“What we need from the public is any type of information, because right now we’re just we’re running into dead ends,” James Smith, the FBI’s special agent in charge, said during an afternoon news conference. “I can tell you right now, we have zero leads.”
The search for the suspect has grown in scale since the Friday shooting, with more than 200 police from multiple jurisdictions searching for Francisco Oropeza, many going door to door, looking for the 38-year-old suspect and asking for tips. Local officials and the FBI also chipped in reward money, bringing the total to $80,000 for any information about Oropeza’s whereabouts.
Oropeza is considered armed and dangerous after fleeing the area Friday night, likely on foot, San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said late Saturday. He said authorities had widened the search beyond the scene of the shooting, which occurred after the suspect’s neighbors asked him to stop firing off rounds in his yard.
Capers said the suspect responded by telling them that it was his property. Doorbell camera video captured him walking up to the front door with a rifle.
Investigators found clothes and a phone while combing a rural area that includes dense layers of forest, but tracking dogs lost the scent, Capers said. Authorities were able to identify Oropeza by an identity card issued by Mexican authorities to citizens who reside outside the country, as well as the doorbell camera footage. He said police have also interviewed the suspect’s wife multiple times.
Police recovered the AR-15-style rifle that they said Oropeza used in the shootings, but authorities were not sure if he was carrying another weapon, the sheriff said. There were other weapons in the suspect’s home, he said.
Subscribe today for unlimited access.
Already a subscriber?
Login
Not ready to subscribe?
Register for limited access.
If you have a print subscription but require digital access,
activate your account.
